Matthew 22:12 (DRB)

Passage

And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment? But he was silent.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:10 And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests.

Matthew 22:11 And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment.

Matthew 22:12 And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment? But he was silent.

Matthew 22:13 Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "friend", "camest", "thou", "hither", "having", "wedding", and "garment". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "friend", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And the king went in to see..." into verse 13's "Then the king said to the waiters...", so "saith" and "friend" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "saith" and "friend" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.